Master's Project Information

A concept document (about 200-250 words) describes the final product (the deliverables), its purpose and its target audience. It should be quite clear in spite of its brevity.

Use the concept document to persuade your potential committee members that you have a good idea for a project.

Keep in mind that a master's project is expected to be equivalent to a master's thesis in every respect.

The UF Graduate School requires that a supervisory committee be appointed before the completion of two terms or 12 credits, whichever comes later. Thus you should form your committee in your second semester.

You must have three committee members. One of these is your chair. Get the supervisory committee form (from the College's graduate division) and ask all committee members to sign it. Then return it to 2014 Weimer Hall, Division of Graduate Studies and Research.

Project students must conduct background research and compile a literature review and provide a thorough description of the methods to be employed to complete the project.

All members of the supervisory committee must approve the literature review and methods before work may commence.

The student must convince the committee that the project (a) has value, and (b) does not resemble existing work. For example, if there already exists a Web site about the history and culture of Costa Rica, your project cannot be a Web site about the history and culture of Costa Rica.

Students must already possess the prerequisite technical skills to complete the project.

Projects are not a basic training ground. For example, if your project includes online video, you must demonstrate that you already know how to shoot and edit video.

The text above was adapted from the College's Master's Handbook.

Include the following in your proposal:

1. Introduction (adapted from the concept document)
2. Literature review in three parts:
1. Describe similar or related projects that you have examined.
2. Demonstrate your competency in related production areas; e.g. explain current best practices in Web design.
3. Provide background in the subject area for the content of your project; for example, if your project concerns prison reform, then review the professional literature about prison reform.
3. Methodology in two parts:
1. Explain what assets you will gather (e.g., video, interviews, documents) for use in your project, and how you will gather them.
2. Explain how you will produce the project, including a detailed calendar -- with completion dates for each segment of the project.
4. A complete reference list formatted in APA style.

If you're building a Web site, I expect to see sketches or mockups in the proposal, as well as a site diagram.

It would be good to create a top-level design document (1,500-2,500 words) that describes the key components of your project. These are content, features, structure, functional controls, and "look and feel" (Elin, 2001).

Everyone on your committee must have time to read your proposal before the proposal defense meeting.

If you intend to graduate in May, please schedule your proposal defense meeting before Nov. 1.

Two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to allow between giving the proposal to your chair and holding the defense (unless there are problems in your proposal). Thus you should plan to give the finished proposal to all committee members by mid-October.

Do not begin gathering assets for your project until AFTER you have completed a successful proposal defense and received the go-ahead from all of your committee members.

Everyone on your committee must have time to examine your project before the final defense meeting.

If you intend to graduate in May, please schedule your proposal defense meeting before April 15.

Two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to allow between giving the proposal to your committee members and holding the defense.

If you delay and miss the spring deadline, do not expect your committee members or your chair to be available to you until the following fall. Many faculty members leave town during the summer months.

After a successful defense, you will submit your project to 2014 Weimer Hall, Division of Graduate Studies and Research. This will be the College's official copy. (If you're building a Web site, you will be expected to burn a CD or DVD, containing the complete Web site, for submission to the graduate division.)

I recommend the projects produced by these students. You can see the project binders the Journalism Library (Weimer Hall) or in 2014 Weimer Hall, Division of Graduate Studies and Research.

• Crabb, Janna (2003). Faces of Costa Rica (online version).
• Holtzclaw, Ben (2006). Alachua County School Guide.
• Westbrook, Roberto (2005). Vukovar: Never the Same (online version).

By examining the complete, finished projects, you will get a clear picture of what you need to do to complete YOUR project.

1. Register for MMC 6973 (project credits).
2. Write the concept document and give it to all prospective committee members.
3. Complete and submit a supervisory committee form.
4. Research and write the proposal.
5. Schedule and complete the proposal defense.
6. Gather all assets.
7. Complete all production.
8. Work closely with your chair EARLY in the semester when you intend to graduate. Delay is fatal to graduate plans.
9. Submit project to chair for approval.
10. Schedule and complete the project defense.